Starting that night, the snow fell heavier and heavier.
Late at night, after Xiao Yunying had fallen asleep, Luo Sheng went out for a while, estimating the time.
About half an hour later, he returned covered in snow. He brushed the snow off himself at the door and tiptoed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
Just before dawn, she went out again. When she returned, she heard Xiao Yunying's somewhat unclear voice: "Where did you go? It took you so long to come back. If you hadn't come back soon, I would have gone out to look for you."
She heard the noise when Luo Sheng left, and assuming he had gone to the outhouse, she didn't say anything and lay quietly.
As dawn broke, she turned over and saw that he hadn't returned yet. A little worried, she couldn't sleep when she had something on her mind, so she kept her eyes closed and rested, waiting for Luo Sheng to come back.
Luo Sheng was in high spirits: "You were waiting for me."
Xiao Yunying sat up, her eyes still blurry, and said, "It feels like you haven't been back for a long time. I was a little worried that you might have fallen into the latrine."
Luo Sheng gently tapped her forehead: "Can't you wish me well for once?"
Xiao Yunying felt a chill on her forehead: "So where did you go?"
Luo Sheng took off his cotton-padded coat: "The snow is quite heavy. I went out and cleared the snow to prevent it from blocking the door. It would be troublesome if we couldn't open the door when it gets light."
"Thank you for your hard work. Call me when you go shovel snow again, and I'll help you."
Seeing that she still had blurry eyes and looked like she hadn't woken up yet, Luo Sheng said, "Okay, I'll call you when it's time. It's not fully light yet, lie down and sleep a little longer."
"Okay, then I'll take a nap a little longer."
As she spoke, Xiao Yunying lay down straight and snuggled into the blankets, ready to take a nap.
Since it was a late winter day and there was nothing to do at home, Xiao Yunying stayed in bed a little longer before getting up.
Granny Chang had already prepared breakfast, and after washing up, she started eating without any hesitation.
The social hierarchy in their courtyard wasn't so clearly defined. Whoever got up early or had free time would cook; it was an unspoken understanding.
The heavy snow fell on and off for several days. During the day, the family would go out together every now and then to clear the snow.
In the evening, Luo Sheng would go out by himself, and he would also go to the greenhouse to help the farmhands clear the snow off the greenhouse.
Xiao Yunying had discovered it a few times, but she only found out when Luo Sheng returned. She asked him to invite her along, and he would agree verbally, but he would go quietly without making a sound.
One time, she was a very light sleeper. When she heard a noise, she immediately got up. Luo Sheng didn't want her to go out in the cold wind, so he pinched the back of her neck. He didn't know which acupoint he pressed, but she fell asleep again immediately.
It's also possible that he simply fainted.
When Xiao Yunying woke up at dawn, she saw him apologizing humbly, afraid of upsetting her, and could only sigh helplessly.
She knew Luo Sheng meant well, and that's why he didn't want her to go, worried that she would get tired or cold.
Luo Sheng explained that he knew light-footed kung fu and that Wei Xun and Wan Jun were helping him, so he wasn't shoveling snow alone. Only then did Xiao Yunying stop worrying about it.
That afternoon, Xiao Yunying was drawing blueprints in the room when Luo Sheng suddenly looked up and said, "There's the sound of a gong outside."
She listened intently, but heard nothing but the sound of the wind. However, trusting Luo Yong's hearing, she put down her brush and said, "I'll go out and take a look."
The gong is usually used to relay messages when something happens in the village and the village chief urgently needs to summon everyone.
Xiao Yunying put on another thick cotton coat before going out. The yard was swept diligently, so there was not much snow. Apart from a small open space in front of the gate, the snow outside the gate was relatively clean, but further away, the snow easily reached above the calves.
This is because of the wind, which is why the snow on the road is of varying depths. In some sheltered places like corners, the snow is thick enough to cover an adult.
Luo Sheng stood beside her, looking towards the main road leading to the center of the village. They could vaguely see several people walking south of the village.
The village chief was banging on a gong and shouting, "Everyone who heard this, come out and help! Two houses in the village have collapsed!"
Being quite far away, Xiao Yunying could only hear the sound of the gong; she couldn't clearly hear what the village chief was saying.
What does this mean?
Luo Sheng said, "Two houses in the village have collapsed, and the village chief is gathering people to help."
He went back into the yard and got a shovel: "I'll go help, you go back inside quickly."
"Then be careful."
Don't worry.
Xiao Yunying went back into the house, brushed the snow off her body, and then took off her cotton-padded coat.
It's unclear how many more days this snow will last. In this freezing weather, all the chickens, ducks, and geese in the village are probably frozen to death, which is a significant loss for the villagers.
This was only because we received her information in advance and made preparations; we didn't know what the situation was like in the other villages.
The village chief is really dedicated; he still comes out to patrol in this kind of weather. If no one sees that a house has collapsed, the people trapped inside won't be able to get out and will freeze to death in less than a night.
But this is something she can't control; all she can do is give a heads-up and distribute some food.
"People shouldn't have too much sympathy and empathy, otherwise they'll have endless worries every day, and living like that will be too tiring."
Xiao Yunying sighed softly and continued to draw in her booklet with her brush.
Two days later, the wind finally subsided and the sky began to clear.
Just when everyone thought the snow had stopped, it started snowing again that night.
Xiao Yunying leaned against the door, annoyed: "This isn't Northeast China, where the snow just keeps falling endlessly."
The weather was not only cold, but the snowflakes mixed in with the wind stung her face. She was also a clean person and didn't like to keep the chamber pot in the house. Going out to use the toilet every night was a torment for her.
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